


Pretending to Not Feel Alone

by mariette



Series: Fake AH Crew - Family [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: F/M, FAHC, Female Jack, Freewood - Freeform, Los Santos, M/M, Ryan doesn't want to, mini heist?, they go on Geoff's yacht
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-04-20 05:27:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14254002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariette/pseuds/mariette
Summary: "In the interest of keeping up with an ‘I don’t care about literally anything image’ Ryan tries to stay as unbothered by information as he can. His silence is always the best way to go and when that falters his mask helps."Imagine the FAHC gets a yacht and Geoff forces Ryan to go on it even though he would rather do literally anything else. And then read this because that's what's going to happen.





	Pretending to Not Feel Alone

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a series but it's not linear in any way. You can read this one before the previous one I wrote or vice versa. But it is set BEFORE 'Cold As Hell'. Let me know what you think of it! :)

“You bought a fucking  _ yacht _ ?”

 

Michaels voice was ever booming, it echoed through the large penthouse. His vowels bouncing off the high ceiling and coming back down toward the group of criminals. Geoff was stood on the opposite side of him, a shit eating grin on his face. The crew could be read pretty easily by their facial expressions. Jeremy, excited as hell. Jack, seeming disinterested as always. Michael, obviously confused and upset. And then there was Ryan, who was silent behind his mask. Completely unreadable.

 

“Actually I bought two yachts. But the other one is somewhere in the gulf and you guys aren’t invited to that one. So come on now, pack your things we’re gonna have a yacht party,” Geoff said.

 

“What makes you think I’m going to this?” Ryan asked. It was the first time he’d spoken since they got back from their heist. He wasn’t much to make small talk with them once they finished a job.

 

“It’s part of your initiation so I’m not really going to argue with you about whether or not you’re going,” Geoff said.

 

Ryan could tell this was going to start a fight and normally he would just let it go. After all, he’s been getting five figures for the jobs they’re pulling off and he and Gavin could really use that money. But, ‘Vagabond’ wasn’t one to go down without a fight. He just needed to calculate it to make sure he doesn’t piss Geoff off enough that he’s not allowed back into the crew.

 

“Look, there’s a lot more things I could be doing right now than going on a fucking boat in the middle of nowhere to party. I don’t even drink and I really wouldn’t have much fun. So, do I have to repeat myself? I’m. Not. Going,” Ryan said.

 

The room suddenly fell completely silent. The air around Ryan was suddenly heavy and cold. A smirk grew on Geoff’s face with no obvious hint of humor. Malice and anger, sure. But not humor. The boss stepped a few feet closer to him before stopping right in front of Ryan who still had his arms cross and stood taller than the other man. It had little effect though on the leader of the group, though. Geoff didn’t make his way to the top of Los Santos on a kind heart and taking ‘no’ as an answer.

 

“When I brought you into this crew I knew that it was going to be difficult. Having a lone wolf try to integrate himself into our little family was going to take a lot of work. And I’m willing to put that work in. At first I thought it was a waste having you around and that I’d just have to hire you on when we needed you. But you proved yourself to work  _ as _ a crew and not alone when you saved Jack’s life. So I’m not going to give up on you because there’s something in you that craves family and behind that mask, behind those dead eyes I see it. However, the next time you talk back to me I’m going to have every motherfucker in this city after you. Do I have to repeat myself, Vagabond?” Geoff asked. He smiled then. A knowing smile. Knew that he got to Ryan and he won. But really, Ryan just wanted to know how far he could go. Turns out not very far.

 

“No. I got it,” he said.

 

The room collectively exhaled the breaths they’d been holding in. Geoff laughed genuinely then and clapped Ryan on the back. He retreated to the kitchen probably to grab a drink and everyone seemed to disperse to either pack a bag or do whatever it is they do when they’re done with a heist.

 

“I’ll leave to pack and come back,” Ryan said.

 

Geoff waved his hand in the air signaling that he both heard him and he didn’t care.

 

“Yeah I need to go too. Can I catch a ride with you?” Jeremy asked.

 

Ryan stayed silent and stared at Jeremy.

 

“I’ll take that as a solid no. Guess I’m taking an uber,” he said.

 

“Uhh. No, that’s fine. I can take you but I’m not bringing you back,” Ryan said.

 

If Ryan didn’t know any better he could have sworn he saw a sly smile form on Geoff’s face. But, that easily could have been from the beer he had just gulped down. Whatever his boss thought was going to happen with this crew he was wrong. ‘Vagabond’ doesn’t get close to anyone. Well, everyone except one annoying British man that he could never shake.

 

Ryan walked towards the elevator and pressed the button to go down. Jeremy followed suit but kept his distant from his new masked ‘friend’. They quietly entered the elevator and the silence was heavy and awkward. That was until Jeremy spoke up.

 

“So, you ever gonna take the mask off?” Jeremy asked.

 

“No,” Ryan said firmly.

 

Jeremy nodded in response and sighed not knowing what to say next. He tapped his fingers on the railing and looked around the small enclosure. Ryan was all too familiar with this body language. It reminded him of Gavin and he knew what was coming next.

 

“Why do you wear the mask? Do you ever take it off? Do you shower with it? Do you sleep in it?” Jeremy’s spit fire questions were something Ryan was used to. When he first met Gavin that’s all he got from him.

 

Ryan looked over at Jeremy silently. His eyebrows were furrowed but he knew Jeremy couldn’t see that.

 

“Right. Sorry,” he said.

 

The elevator made a high pitched ding and the doors opened. Ryan pushed himself off of the cold wall and began walking to his car in the underground parking garage. He turned the car on quickly and hoped that this whole yacht party thing wouldn’t annoy the shit out of him.

 

As he stepped into his apartment the smell of something burning immediately hit his nose. He pulled his mask off and laid it on it’s spot on the side table. Smoke was wrapping it’s way around the ceiling. Every window was opened and a little squawk could be heard from the kitchen. No doubt the source of the smoke. Ryan sighed and stepped around the corner to see Gavin flapping a towel in the air trying to blow the smoke out of the oven and through the open windows.

 

“What did you do?” Ryan asked. His voice was high pitched and dripping with worry. More for their kitchen than his boyfriend since he seemed fine, just a moron.

 

Gavin whipped his head around his green eyes large and kind of terrified. He turned around to look at the oven and then back to Ryan.

 

“I was making a  _ bloody _ pizza and I fell asleep and now the  _ shitting _ oven is on fire! What’s the point of installing an automatic shut off mechanism if it’s not going to bloody work!” Gavin yelled.

 

“To be fair you never tested that,” Ryan said.

 

He grabbed a towel and began flapping with Gavin trying to get as much smoke out of the apartment as they could. Once everything had subsided Ryan peeked into the oven to asses the damage to the pizza. Where he assumed it once was there was now a black circle with a four inch diameter.

 

“How long were you asleep?” he asked. Gavin sighed.

 

“Like four hours,” Gavin said.

 

“Four hou--! How is this place not burned to the ground?” he asked.

 

“Ah! Glad you asked. Along with the automatic shut off I also installed fireproof insulation around the inside of the oven so if it ever caught fire it wouldn’t spread and eventually smother itself!” he said.

 

Gavin stood proudly even though he did almost burn down their entire apartment inventions or not.

 

“Did you at least test that one?” Ryan asked.

 

“Would you be mad if I said no?” Gavin replied.

 

“I want to say yes but it’s like,  _ impossible _ to stay mad at you. You get a pass this time,” Ryan said.

 

Gavin stepped closer to his boyfriend and gave him a small kiss on the lips. He pulled back and smiled but must have remembered his burnt pizza. His face faltered and he turned back to the oven.

 

“I’m really hungry,” he said.

 

“I’ll order you a pizza. I have to make it up to you anyways since I won’t be here for the rest of the afternoon,” Ryan said.

 

Gavin turned back at him pouting.

 

“What? Why not?” he asked.

 

“Geoff is making me go on his stupid yacht with him and the rest of the crew. I tried to get myself out of it but he pulled the whole ‘initiation’ and ‘I literally own you’ card so I couldn’t really say no. You know if I wasn’t so interested in their lifestyle and the money they give us I probably would have killed them a long time ago,” he said.

 

“I’m surprised you haven’t yet. But, okay. Smee and I can hang out on our own for the day. Isn’t that right little Smee?”

 

Gavin bent down and pet the cat rubbing against his leg. He lay on his side waiting for Gavin to pet his stomach and the brunette happily complied. Ryan left the kitchen and went to their shared bedroom to pack the essentials. Two knives, a pistol, and an assault rifle.

Ryan would be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed by the gigantic yacht in front of him. He’d never really  _ seen _ a yacht before but he didn’t think they were a mini cruise ship. It was so substantial is size that there was a helicopter pad landing. Which they were using currently, landing on it, with a golden helicopter. It must be nice being a kingpin. Jeremy was practically vibrating in his seat next to Ryan. Going on and on about how he was going to live in the hot tub for the afternoon. He  _ really _ didn’t see the appeal in this, he’d much rather be home with Gavin and Smee.

 

“Alright boys have at it,” Geoff said.

 

Michael and Jeremy zipped off of the helicopter heading straight for the front of the giant boat. Presumably to be in the hot tub. Ryan was unsure of what he was supposed to do or where he was supposed to go.

 

“There’s a bar downstairs. Follow me,” Jack said.

 

She hopped off the helicopter and was already headed down to the bottom deck. Ryan just wanted to find a small corner to himself and hide away until Geoff was satisfied but now he was being forced to socialize. This is why he hated being in a crew. He was surrounded by smelly fish water, on a boat of (as far as he was concerned) idiots. If he knew that  _ this _ was what being part of a crew was he would have declined the offer. Even though five figures was a gorgeous number.

 

The temperature dropped at least ten degrees once they got down to the bar. Ryan visibly shuddered next to Jack and she chuckled in response.

 

“Don’t worry I’ve got plenty to warm you up. What do you drink?” Jack asked.

 

“Shot of whiskey is fine. Thanks,” he said.

 

“Oh, a hard ass, huh? Well… guess you gotta be in our line of work,” she said.

 

Ryan nodded in response. He watched her pour the golden liquid into a shot glass. She filled it to the brim and slid it his way, then poured one for herself. They clinked their glasses, tapped them on the counter and down they went. For Ryan it was a bit more difficult, he had to carefully lift the corner of his mask and tilt the liquid into his mouth without touching his lips. He got it down but a little dribble surfaced from his mouth down his chin. Another chuckle came from Jack and she handed him a napkin.

 

“Why do you refuse to take that thing off?” she asked.

 

“Protection,” he said.

 

“Sure makes sense for a job, but… you’ve been working with us for months now and we don’t even know your real name. Geoff’s starting to give up on you and it’s pretty disappointing to see. He doesn’t give a lot of people chances like this and you’re just letting it slip right through your fingers,” she said.

 

“Why is it even important? This is just a crew. We do heists, we get paid and that’s it. It’s Los Santos for fucks sake not everything is this deep,” Ryan said.

 

He put his feet up on the barstool next to him and began digging his pocket knife into the bar counter. Wood splinters began emerging from under the silver blade growing up and around it. Jack laid her head into her hand, elbow resting on the counter. She glared at Ryan and his piercing blue eyes met with hers.

 

“You know for someone who is as smart as you seem to be you really are a dumbass,” she said.

 

Ryan’s hand abruptly stopped and he looked up at her. He thought about saying something, defending himself but he let her continue. He didn’t think she held any ground to make such an accusation about the deadliest killer in Los Santos.

 

“We’re not just some ragtag group of people that happened to stumble upon each other and decide ‘you know what we’re gonna become the deadliest force in all of Los Santos’. We’re a family. A tight knit family that no one can come in and fuck with. Sure we have people we hire, some more than once but the four of us? We’re all we got. Do you have something like that out there? People who would die for you? Jump in front of a bullet for? Kill for?”

 

Yes, he thought to himself. He would die for someone. Jack walked around the bar and pushed Ryan’s feet off the bar stool. She sat down where they once were.

 

“So you’d die for these people?” Ryan asked.

 

“Of course. My husband knows who to trust and I trust his judgement,” she said.

 

“Your  _ husband _ ?” Ryan asked.

 

In the interest of keeping up with an ‘I don’t care about literally anything image’ Ryan tries to stay as unbothered by information as he can. His silence is always the best way to go and when that falters his mask helps. But something like this he couldn’t hide his surprise.

 

“Yeah. Not a lot of people know about Geoff and I. In fact, only two other people know. Three now. It’s called trust, Vagabond. And it’s really killing Geoff that you’re not letting anyone in. He doesn’t know much about the kind of person you really are behind Vagabond but obviously he knows enough that he’d save your ass if you needed it,” she said.

 

Ryan returned to tossing his knife into the bar. He was uncomfortable with everything Jack said. He didn’t want to let anyone else into his personal life. Gavin was enough. Hell, he didn’t even want him there in the first place but somehow the little British bastard wiggled his way in. And considering he’s in too deep to let him go he didn’t want to get that far with these people and have the same thing happen. It wasn’t that he didn’t care it’s that he didn’t want to care and he’s not sure which was worse.

 

A set of heavy footsteps started thundering down the wooden stairs. Jeremy’s head popped out from around the corner. His body dripping with water from the hot tub and splashing the floor under him.

 

“Hey I uh, don’t want to be the bearer of bad news but another boat just pulled up and they don’t look like they want to party. Geoff is trying to calm the situation but this might go tits up soon,” Jeremy said.

 

Jack immediately got up out of the bar stool and barreled up the stairs. She ran past Jeremy.

 

“You and Michael get some fucking clothes on. This is Los Santos. They're not here to play,” Jack said.

 

She seemed confident in herself. Ryan stood up and watched as Jeremy followed. Almost as soon as they left he began hearing yelling from upstairs. He was pretty sure it was in a foreign language but considering it was muffled he could easily be wrong. Creaks could be heard from the ceiling boards above him. Ryan closed his eyes and listened. If he were to assume they all entered the boat the same way there were six people on board and they didn’t sound friendly. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and popped the back out of it releasing a small earpiece. He set the phone on the floor and stepped on it. It crumbled under him. In doing that the earpiece now in his ear was activated.

 

“Ryan? What’s going on?” Gavin’s voice could be heard on the other end of the receiver and Ryan made a sigh of relief.

 

“I think our boat is being hijacked. I’m going to need your help,” he said.

 

“What? Are you okay?” Gavin asked. Ryan could already hear him clacking away at his keyboard probably pinpointing his exact location.

 

“Yeah. For now. I'm downstairs at the moment I don't think any of the jackers know I'm here unless they saw who got off the helicopter. Seems unlikely, though. I've got my weapons down here with me so I'll stay down here until I hear things escalate,” Ryan said.

 

He walked over to his bag and reached in for his pistol. Six guys, he didn't need an assault rifle. The knife he was fucking with before went back into his pocket.

 

The yelling from upstairs began to increase rapidly. No shots were being fired yet but Ryan was growing uneasy with the situation. He didn't like to think that his crew thought he was abandoning them.

 

“I've got a silent drone about to fly overhead by you guys. You ready?” Gavin asked.

 

“I was hoping you'd be this quick,” Ryan said.

 

“That's what you got me for, baby,” Gavin said.

 

Ryan smiled to himself. He slowly walked toward the stairs being extra cautious to step in between the floorboards as to not squeak anything. He pressed his back against the staircase and slowly ascended.

 

“You said you were below deck right?” Gavin asked.

 

Ryan made a humming noise. Lucky for him any quiet noise he made was muffled by his mask but Gavin could still pick it up in the receiver.

 

“There's five guys surrounding everyone else upstairs. One other man is walking your way I think he's about to come downstairs. I wouldn't shoot unless you have to,” Gavin said.

 

“Got it,” he replied.

 

Eventually Ryan could hear the footsteps getting closer to the edge of the steps. He had his hand hovered over his pocket ready to whip out his knife as soon as he saw the man. An attack sequence already planned in his head he just needed to get eyesight of the man and…

 

Gunshots. From upstairs.

 

He whipped his gun out and ran up the stairs shooting once, twice, three times. Gunfire hailed from above the deck now and it was all Ryan could hear.

 

“Michael’s down. They got him in the leg. Everyone's scattering. Ryan to your right!” Gavin yelled in his ear.

 

Ryan turned and another man with a much bigger gun and more body armor than he had was barreling toward him. Ryan was one step ahead he pulled up his pistol and shot right in between the man’s eyes. He ran past and jumped over the body towards the middle of the top deck. He heard another gunshot ringing to the left.

 

“It was just Jack she got one down that sides clear the rest are all to your right. Michael is on the ground there's only three jackers left and they've got Geoff pinned,” Gavin said.

 

Ryan sprinted to the right side of the ship. He pressed his back against the wall again and took a deep breath. He looked around the corner and sure enough they had Geoff up against the railing of the boat. He didn't look worried at all, though. Smug bastard. Even faced with death he won't be bothered. Ryan made eye contact with Geoff for only a second and in that second they had a plan.

 

Geoff kicked out one of the men’s legs. As he was tumbling the other two lost their guard. Ryan shot once, twice. Hitting both men in the chest. Geoff pressed his foot into the man who he tripped pinning him to the ground. He already had his gun out. Ryan had no idea where he was hiding it. He walked closer so he could hear their conversation.

 

“I'd let you live to tell your boss to stay off my turf but, I think killing you will make a much  _ bigger _ statement don't you?” Geoff asked.

 

“Please you don't want to do this,” the man said.

 

“Oh I really do,” Geoff said.

 

“No!” Ryan screamed.

 

Bang!

 

He jumped in front of one of the men he had shot in the chest. He must have miscalculated his shot because he wasn't dead. He tried to make a go at Geoff and if Ryan hadn't stepped in front of him to deflect the bullet if would have hit him right in the heart.

 

Bang! Bang! Bang!

 

“Vagabond what the fuck?” Geoff yelled.

 

Ryan looked up and saw Jack at the end of the corridor they were in with a pistol in her hand and smoke still fuming out of it. If she hadn't shown up to finish the job they both would have been goners.

 

“Ryan? Ryan are you okay?” Gavin asked. Ryan could see his drone hovering a little too low. The crew still couldn't know about him.

 

“I'm… fine,” he said. His collarbone felt like it had been blown out of his body but he wasn't dead. Bleeding a lot but not dead.

 

“Is Michael okay?” he asked.

 

“Yeah I'm fine, Vagabond,” Michael said.

 

Ryan looked up and saw Jeremy tying his shirt around Michael’s leg wound to slow the blood. Jack was already on her way over to Ryan with a first aid kit and Geoff had his hand on his back. He could see Gavin's drone silently floating above watching the entire scene unfold.

 

“Thanks for saving me, Vagabond. I'm far too young to die,” Geoff said.

 

“Well if I was a little more careful with my shot I wouldn't have needed to. That's my own fault but, It's… Ryan. My name’s Ryan,” he said.

 

Jack was knelt down next to Ryan now checking out his wound as he lay there on the ground. She smiled at him and began pulling out supplies. Jeremy came over to rifle through them for Michael too and gave him a small smile.

 

“Thanks for saving my husband,  _ Ryan _ . We owe you one,” she said.

 

“Ah no, I wouldn't --ow!” he yelped at the alcohol Jack began to pour on his open wound. A small ‘sorry’ could be heard from her. “I wouldn't know but isn't that what a family does?”

 

Geoff patted his leg and got up to check on Michael. The smile on his face could have easily been a mile wide and given any  _ normal _ group of people in their scenario no one would be smiling. But not this one. It was a happy moment.

 

“What kind of serial assassin has the name  _ Ryan _ ?” Jeremy asked.

 

Ryan looked over at him and squinted his eyes.

 

“Don't make me regret telling you.”


End file.
